The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is considering a curriculum community members worry is “anti-police.”
Scottsdale parents expressed opposition to the curriculum on other grounds in recent weeks, which the Arizona Daily Independent covered. Parents and community members issued overwhelmingly negative public feedback on the curriculum as too “woke”: one-sided and left-leaning on sensitive and complex topics including Black Lives Matter and modern race relations, President Donald Trump and the 2020 election, climate change, LGBTQ+ ideology and movements, illegal immigration, and COVID-19.
Do you value local law enforcement officers?
👉Tell the SUSD board to reject all proposed social sciences curriculum: [email protected]. https://t.co/KuHFUzvBbu
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) May 11, 2025
Now, Maricopa’s law enforcement community has voiced opposition to the curriculum.
The president of the Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association, Jim Hill, shared a copy online of his missive to the SUSD governing board:
Jim Hill, President, Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association, urges the @ScottsdaleUSD board to vote NO on the proposed anti-law enforcement curriculum.
👉Share + email: [email protected].@sherifflamb1 @JerrySheridan24 @ScottsdalePD@AZFreeNews @amerdailyindy https://t.co/KuHFUzvBbu pic.twitter.com/1o2UQKPI4f
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) May 9, 2025
I urge you to not approve the proposed SAVVAS social studies curriculum.
As a law enforcement professional with nearly four decades of experience across multiple agencies, including service as a detective, training instructor, and gang task force leader, I am compelled to raise serious concerns about the representation of police in the curriculum materials under review. These passages, while addressing societal issues, present a selectively framed, emotionally charged, and poorly contextualized narrative of American policing that undermines trust in public safety institutions and misinforms students.
Curriculum is Misleading in Its Portrayal of Critical Incidents
The selected textbook excerpts repeatedly frame controversial police-involved deaths without including relevant legal findings, DOJ reports, or autopsy conclusions:
In the Trayvon Martin case, it is never disclosed that no law enforcement officers were involved.
The Michael Brown “hands up, don’t shoot” claim is presented as fact, even though it was debunked by a federal investigation under the Obama administration.
The portrayal of George Floyd’s death omits critical details, such as toxicology findings and the fact that both the official and independent autopsies noted contributing factors beyond restraint alone.
As an instructor in police training academies and a subject matter expert in gang investigations, I find it deeply troubling that educational materials fail to meet even the basic academic standard of presenting all sides of a complex issue.
No Representation of Police Context, Training, or Modern Reform Efforts
The curriculum does not discuss:
Use-of-force protocols and legal thresholds
Training in de-escalation, cultural competency, and mental health response
The reality is that officers make rapid, high-risk decisions often with limited information and significant public scrutiny
Throughout my career—including my leadership as President of the Maricopa Community Colleges Police Officers Association (MCCPOA) and Police Officers of Scottsdale Association (POSA)—I’ve worked closely with command staff, educators, and civic leaders to improve training and community relations. These efforts are completely absent from the text, painting an incomplete and unfair portrait of the profession.
The Result is the Erosion of Student Confidence in Law Enforcement
As someone who has designed and led community outreach programs, coordinated “Shop with a Cop” initiatives, and developed crisis intervention strategies, I can attest to the importance of building trust between police and the communities we serve. Curriculum that selectively depicts officers as racially biased or excessively violent—without balancing that narrative with the facts, reforms, or sacrifices made by police—has a measurable impact. It can foster mistrust, reduce youth cooperation with law enforcement, and even discourage students from pursuing careers in public safety, which are already suffering from historic staffing shortages.
The Proposed Social Studies Curriculum Lacks Academic Rigor or Balance
Statements like “many believed” or “some Americans argued” are subjective and unsourced. This language would be flagged in any credible academic publication. Why is it permissible in a public-school history textbook? As someone pursuing a Doctor of Education with a thesis focus on law enforcement mental health, I understand the standards of scholarship, and this content does not meet them.
I believe in honest reflection and continuous improvement in policing. But honesty requires completeness, and these passages fall short. As an educator, law enforcement leader, and community servant, I urge curriculum committees and school boards to:
Consult subject matter experts in law enforcement
Include DOJ and academic research findings in primary source materials
Balance critiques of systemic injustice with recognition of progress, sacrifice, and reform in policing
Students deserve the truth—not a narrative.